Recession Stories
How are architects coping with the economic downturn? To help answer this question, we headed over to the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture on January 21 to attend a Not Business As Usual forum—one in a series of events geared toward helping architects in these troubled times. The workshop drew roughly 80 attendees. Here, we profile 15 of the people we interviewed, from firm owners to unemployed designers. We’ve included the resumes of those architects looking for work.

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Photo © Danielle Austen/Architectural Record

In RECORD’s ongoing series of Newsmaker Interviews, we speak with John Morefield, founder of Architecture 5¢ in Seattle. We also talk to Peter Morris, principal of the construction consultancy Davis Langdon, who discusses how the recession will affect the green-building market.

Photo © Mohini Patel Glanz

McGraw-Hill Construction’s vice president for economic affairs Robert Murray looks at key market indicators and offers a prognosis for the building types most important to architects: Multifamily, commercial, healthcare, hotels, and education.

Information Graphics by David Foster

No one knows how long the current recession will last or how severe it will be. But, all recessions share certain characteristics, and looking at how this one measures up to those of the recent past gives us hope.

Data: McGraw-Hill Construction

We take a look at how architects are faring in various regions of the country. From Seattle to Philadelphia, it appears nobody is escaping the economic crisis unscathed. “What we’re going through is nothing short of brutal,” says Herbert Nadel of Los Angeles-based Nadel.

• Stimulus Dollars Offer Hope for Ailing Architects in Northeast
• Architects in West Hit Hard by Recession
• Architects in South Feel Economic Pinch
• Midwest Architects Slog Through Recession

Photo courtesy Goettsch Partners

The economic crisis has architects hurting around the world. Below we present reports on the state of design from São Paulo to Shanghai.

Image courtesy Woods Bagot

Meet six young architects, jobless due to today's poor economy, who are making lemonade out of some very sour lemons.

Image courtesy Brian Jones